10 Questions We Ask Everyone

Enrico Di Donato (Italy)

In Guitars Exchange two years of
existence, we have had the pleasure and great honour, of getting in touch with
luthiers from every corner of the world. We interviewed many, we learned a lot,
and from the best. The most essential date we had was from the first edition,
at the Holy Grail Guitar Show (HGGS) in Berlin, where in a two-day fair,
the city becomes the great showcase to see and touch the excellence and the
contemporary art of making these instruments. In the last edition of HGGS, we had the
chance to chat with Enrico Di Donato, father of DiDonato Guitars, such a
kind person, sincere and pragmatic with whom it was very easy to get in sync
right away.
A luthier for 10 years, Enrico took part
in the fair and he showed us the “Hasaki” (a Japanese term which means “the edge
of the sword”), his new creation. Among all the guitars that we got to see, -
by no means few -, DiDonato’s was without a doubt the one that caught our
attention.
The Hasaki is a mix between the past and
the future, a cross between wood and metal in a unique aesthetic design, of
classic lines, simple and fluid where even the moulded aluminium body transmits
the feeling of heat, no longer an exclusive feature of wood. Dozens of tests
and mistakes have resulted in the birth of an instrument capable of shining
with its own light: no matter if we talk about the wall of a collector, or on
stage, in the hands of an expert guitarist.
When you consider his career, Enrico is
one of the luthiers not to lose sight of, not only for the boldness of his
creations, but his unwavering capacity to surprise all those who love the
6-string.
THE 10 QUESTIONS WE ASK EVERYONE6-STRING

1. GUITARS
EXCHANGE: How did you end up (or begin) being a luthier? Enrico Di Donato: Like
nearly everyone,from a passion for music and guitars as an instrument.
And with my brother’s experience from studying classic construction of
instruments, until he ‘turned’ to more modern things. I began by helping him
and found my own road in 2007.2.GUITARS EXCHANGE: What
inspires you to design and make a new guitar? Enrico
Di Donato: It’s that moment when you have a vision,
the moment you want an idea to materialize. The same thing happens with othercreative
processes. From the idea to the guitar itself, the road is long with many
tests. After the idea comes the search: before anything, we must find out if
something similar exists. And then you get to work. The Hasaki case, for
instance, was a process of trial and error. 3.GUITARS EXCHANGE: Do you
look for a certain sound for any particular reason?Enrico Di Donato: The
sound has to have a base, it has to be open and organic. The important thing is
how the guitar responds: it has to sound good. A while back I was a ‘fender
man’, I liked those sounds. Over time I learned to value the Gibson sphere,
especially the first models. As for finding ‘its own voice’, I think that’s
bullshit: our brain is programmed with those sounds, those are ‘the sounds. Anyway, my guitars put together pickups that I
make myself. 4.GUITARS EXCHANGE: Choose
and explain: soul, jazz, blues, rock, pop.. or what?Enrico
Di Donato: I was born with rock, especially out of
love for the guitar. There were the ’classics’ like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix
(but for me, Jimi came later: at the start you think ‘this guy makes so much
noise’ , and then you get what he’s doing.) Then I went through the ‘jazz
phase’, in line with other types of instruments. Now I’ll say ‘pop’, although I
don’t listen to much of it. We’re talking about popular songs that reach the
multitudes with simple melodies. Behind this, there are real geniuses. Mozart
is pop!5.GUITARS EXCHANGE: Are
you an artist by assignment, or a solitary loner?Enrico Di Donato: If
I didn’t have two children, I’d be a solitary loner, doing whatever I
wanted...but it’s all a question of compromise: people, deep down, don’t know
what they want.6.GUITARS EXCHANGE: What
was the last record you bought? And the last you listened to? Enrico Di Donato: The
last one I bought was Interstellar Space by John Coltrane and the
last one I listened to was, after a long time, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by
the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ...A BODY…7. GUITARS EXCHANGE:
Electric or acoustic?Enrico Di Donato: Both.
The guitar is electric, but you can’t do without acoustic elements. The
electric guitar isn’t a piece of wood with pickups that make sound.
There are guitars that sound bad even with the best pickups on the market. So
you change the neck, and it’s a whole other thing....A NECK…8. GUITARS EXCHANGE: What
is the secret of your woods?Enrico
Di Donato: I started on the traditional path, with
mahogany, maple, and redwood. Now I’m testing with local wood: walnut for
example, it’s proving very satisfying. The availability of some woods is
getting smaller. And then there’s the cost, at times inflated. There are many
more types of wood that sound good. ...AND TWO HANDS9.GUITARS EXCHANGE: Why
should we think of luthier guitars as an alternative to the big manufacturers? Enrico Di Donato: Who
says that? It depends. The difference is that a luthier will never get rich,
though there is always a smart ass and other exceptions. Generally, those who
are luthiers do it out of passion. Even though you make guitar ‘copies’ already
seen, you see the difference with luthier guitars. We don’t have assembly
lines: each one puts a part of himself, his personality into what he makes...and
it’s not an easy thing.10.GUITARS EXCHANGE: Who
plays your guitars? Who would you like playing your guitars?Enrico Di Donato:
Various musicians and collectors play my guitars. Tony Remy, for instance, who
plays with the best. Among living guitarists that I would like to see playing
my instruments - although I have Jimmy Page in mind - I will say Jeff
Beck: I would be overjoyed to give him a guitar!